1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure is directed to an absorbent pad having an active agent to preserve the freshness of food products or other perishable merchandise, that is structured for use by a consumer to be placed in an enclosed environment, such as a consumer food storage container.
2. Description of the Related Art
Absorbent pads are used in the retail food packaging industry to absorb excess moisture and fluids exuded from meat, poultry, seafood, and produce, to provide a safer, more appealing product to place on the grocery store shelf or cooler for sale to the public.
A typical retail food package has a thin foam tray or pallet on which an absorbent pad is placed. The food is placed on the absorbent pad, and then the tray, absorbent pad, and food are overwrapped with a piece of thin, clear film that is stretched over the open top of the tray to completely enclose the food. The plastic film is sealed to the tray by adhesive or by a brief application of heat to the edges of the plastic film. The absorbent pad may contain an active agent that enhances the safety, shelf life, and aesthetics of the packaged food. The typical retail food package provides a convenient, self-contained package so that a consumer can pick up and inspect the food package without directly contacting the food, and can bring it home.
However, the typical retail food package described above is generally for a single use only. When the consumer brings the food package home and removes the food product, the stretchable film overwrap is removed or cut away from the tray. After the food is removed from the tray, the film overwrap is discarded, and usually the tray and the absorbent pad from the retail food package are discarded as well.
For convenience and economy, grocery stores and meat stores often package multiple servings of food products in a single retail package. After discarding the retail food package at home, the consumer may wish to repackage the food into smaller portion sizes for later use. For example, a consumer may buy a retail food package from a grocery store that contains three (3) pounds of ground sirloin. Once at home, the consumer may divide the ground sirloin into three (3) separate one-pound portions, placing one pound in the refrigerator to be cooked later that same day, and re-packaging the other portions into two one-pound packages. This may be done by wrapping the food in freezer wrap, placing the food inside of a household food storage container or in a flexible plastic food storage bag, which are then placed in the consumer's refrigerator or freezer.
Depending on the food product, a consumer may place a portion of the food directly in a refrigerator crisper drawer, or on a dish that is placed on a refrigerator shelf. If the food product does not require refrigeration, the unused portions may be placed directly in a closed food storage bin, such as a bread bin, or on a pantry shelf.
However, consumers bringing food products home from the store to repackage into more-convenient serving sizes rarely transfer the absorbent pad from the retail food package into the consumer's food storage containers at home. The absorbent pad may appear to be saturated or expended with fluids exuded from the food product and, if the absorbent pad contained any active agents to enhance freshness, the active agents may already be “used up.” In addition, meat and produce purchased at the counter of a meat store or butcher shop often is simply wrapped in paper without a separate absorbent pad that could be transferred into a consumer food storage container.
Consequently, when a consumer brings home a food product in a retail food package, and repackages the food in a food storage container or new, there is no absorbent pad placed in the container, refrigerator, drawer, or bin to absorb fluids exuded from the food, nor active agents that inhibit microbial growth or modify the atmosphere enclosed in the consumer's storage container to preserve freshness. Similarly, after a meal, a consumer may place the leftovers in a food storage container, but has no absorbent pad to place therein. The result is that the food may quickly lose its freshness or aesthetic appeal before the consumer is ready to cook or eat the food. This leads to consumers discarding food before use, thereby wasting food and money.
An absorbent pad for use in a retail food package is placed in an environment in which the food package is closed and sealed a single time, which is at the time of the initial packaging, and can be structured accordingly. However, a consumer food storage container may be opened and closed several times by the consumer, to take food out or to place food in the storage container or bin, temporarily exposing the interior environment of the food storage container to ambient conditions.
The same conditions and issues described above for food can arise with non-edible, but perishable, merchandise, such as fresh flowers.
Therefore, there exists a need for an absorbent pad having an active agent to preserve the freshness of food products or other perishable merchandise, that is structured for use by a consumer at home.